DANBY WISKE
Danby-upon-Wiske (xiii–xvii cent.).
This parish lies on a gentle slope rising westward
from the low banks of the River Wiske, which are
liable to flood, and reaching its highest point on
Yafforth Moor 200 ft. above the ordnance datum.
The village of Danby Wiske is in the north of the
parish. The church and manor-house both lie south
of the village, and near them is the rectory, round
which can be traced the remains of a moat. The
village is grouped at the cross roads that go east
crossing the river by Wiske Bridge to the railway
station on the North-Eastern railway.
The hamlet of Yafforth lies to the south of the
parish and on the west side of the River Wiske. The
few houses are scattered irregularly along the road,
the church being on the east side close to the
river. Near the church is Yafforth Hall, a rectangular brick building which once extended farther
to the south, as is shown by the lines of large
boulder foundations. It was originally plastered,
but most of the plaster has now fallen away, exposing
some interesting round-headed windows of brick with
cut-brick mullions and double tiers of light. The
finest window is on the west side with six large
lights in two tiers. Below the eaves on this wall is
the date 1614, somewhat renovated but probably
original.
A short distance north-east of the hall in a meadow
near the river is a mound apparently artificial and
known as Howe Hill. This was probably the
site of the 'Castle of Yafforth' referred to in
1197–8 as having formerly stood in the pasture of
the isle of Yafforth. (fn. 1) It probably consisted merely
of a moated mound with defences of timber only.
It may have been one of the numerous adulterine or
unlicensed castles which were thrown up during the
anarchy in Stephen's reign and subsequently destroyed
by order of Henry II. Its builder was probably a
member of the Brettevill or De la Mare family. On
the wall of a house lying to the west of the road
leading to the church is a shield of arms, showing a
sleeve quartered with a cheveron between three
boars.
Danby Hall, originally built in the 17th century,
was considerably restored in 1887.
The subsoil of the parish is Red Sandstone, the
soil is clay and gravel with a little recent Alluvium by
the Wiske. The total area is 4,698 acres, 2,021 of
which are arable land, 2,561 permanent grass and
90 woods and plantations (fn. 1a) ; the chief crops raised
are wheat, oats and barley. There is a Wesleyan
chapel at Danby Wiske and a Free Methodist at
Yafforth, and there are public elementary schools at
both places.
Calvert, Lord Baltimore. Paly or and sable a bend counter-coloured.
Manors
DANBY WISKE (Danebi, xi cent.;
Great Denebi, Daneby with Mount
Sorel, xiii cent.; Great Danby, xvii
cent.) was among the lands of Count Alan in 1086, (fn. 2)
and continued to be a member of the honour of
Richmond. (fn. 3) Thomas de Maunby, (fn. 4) who lived in the
latter part of the 13th century, is said to have been mesne
lord, (fn. 5) but this mesne lordship disappeared when, by
1282, the under-tenancy merged in the overlordship.
Cofsi held 10 carucates in Danby before the Conquest;
by 1086 Landric, the man of the Count, held them in
demesne. (fn. 6) No further records of the history of the
tenancy in fee have been found until in 1239
Geoffrey de Nevill, lord of Hutton Longvilliers (q.v.),
obtained a grant of free warren in his demesne lands
here. (fn. 7) Hugh son of Geoffrey married Margaret
daughter of Thomas de Furnivall of Sheffield, (fn. 8) and the
manor was settled on Hugh and Margaret and their
heirs. (fn. 9) Before 1282 (fn. 10) Sir Geoffrey de Nevill, kt., had
granted the manor to John Earl of Richmond, (fn. 11) and
from this time it followed the descent of the honour of
Richmond. (fn. 12) In 1285 the earl held in demesne the
capital messuage, with a water-mill and windmill, an
oven and a fish-pond, (fn. 13) while in 1305 his free warren
is mentioned. (fn. 14) The Scropes of Masham tried to
establish an hereditary claim to this lordship. John
Earl of Richmond granted the manor for life to
Geoffrey le Scrope, on whose death it was entered
by his son Henry. The manor was taken into the
king's hands, but Henry obtained restitution. (fn. 15) The
king, however, in 1342, learning the condition attached
to the grant, ordered the
manor to be again taken into
his own hands, (fn. 16) and restored
it to the Earl of Richmond.
In 1602 Queen Elizabeth
leased the manor to Robert
Dawe and Edward Thurland
for ninety-nine years (fn. 17) ; but
in 1616 James I granted it
with all its appurtenances
(among which must have
passed the advowson of the
church) to George Calvert, his
heirs and assigns. (fn. 18) George
Calvert of Danby Wiske, son
and heir of Leonard Calvert of Kiplin in Catterick
parish, was one of the principal Secretaries of State of
James I, and was created in February 1624–5 Lord
Baltimore of Baltimore. (fn. 19) He died seised of the
manor and advowson in 1632, leaving a son Cecil his
heir. (fn. 20) Cecil had a son Charles, who succeeded him,
and a daughter Mary, married to Sir William
Blakiston, bart., whose affairs were so deeply involved
that Cecil Lord Baltimore made a settlement of the
manor on Sir William and his heirs to secure part of
his daughter's maintenance until the debts were paid.
This condition was never fulfilled, and Sir William
bequeathed the manor to his nephew, but it was
evidently restored to Charles Lord Baltimore after a
petition presented in Parliament in 1692–3. (fn. 21)
Although Charles left a son Benedict Leonard, fourth
baron, (fn. 22) Edward Maria Somerset of Pantley Court,
who married first Clare and then Anne, daughters of
Charles Lord Baltimore, (fn. 23) joined with Anne in
1700–1 in conveying the manor of Danby Wiske and
the advowsons of the churches of Danby Wiske and
Yafforth to Thomas Conny and Robert Catterall. (fn. 24)
In 1718 John Paston and Anne his wife and Thomas
Conny conveyed them to Sir Hugh Smithson, bart., (fn. 25)
of Stanwick, whose grandson Hugh Earl of
Northumberland in 1765 conveyed the manor to
Jonathan Wharton. (fn. 26) Thomas Cust was living here
in 1792, (fn. 27) and in 1857 the manor belonged to the
Ven. Archdeacon Cust and others and is now held
by their trustees.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the families of
Conyers and Croft shared an estate here sometimes
called a manor or half-manor. (fn. 28)
The abbey of St. Mary, York, obtained from
Count Stephen of Britanny the wood of LITTLE
DANBY, and lands were here granted to the same
abbey by Richard de Brettevill, Herman and Brian
Brito, and William de la Mare, (fn. 29) the last grant
being confirmed by Henry II. (fn. 30) Robert de la Mare
must have been lord in 1198. (fn. 31) In 1286–7 Hugh
de la Mare held 4 oxgangs of land in Yafforth, (fn. 32) and
tenements in Yafforth were settled on Hugh and
Julia his wife in 1309. (fn. 33) Hugh seems to have been
succeeded by William de la Mare, who apparently
held his land jointly with Alice his wife. William
died leaving a son William, an idiot from birth. On
his death the lands were held by Alice and her
brother-in-law, Thomas de la Mare, who forfeited
them for his share in the rising of the Earl of
Lancaster in 1322, being one of those who with
Joscelin Dayvill garrisoned the peel at Northallerton (q.v.) against the king. (fn. 33a) In 1360 Geoffrey de
Hamby and Thomas of Little Danby gave the king
£20 for lands and tenements forfeited by William de
la Mare of Yafforth and Thomas de la Mare in
Yafforth and Kingston-upon-Hull. (fn. 34) These lands and
tenements seem to have included the manor of Little
Danby, for in 1381 Robert de Eryholme and
Agnes his wife sought one-third of the manor (now
for the first time mentioned) as dower of Agnes from
her former husband Thomas de Danby, whose son
William maintained that Edward III gave the manor
in fee jointly to his father and Geoffrey de Hamby of
Kingston-upon-Hull. (fn. 35) From this time the manor
was held by the Danbys of Yafforth. (fn. 36) Robert Danby
died seised in 1463, and on the death of his widow
in 1494 it was held by his granddaughters, heirs of
his son Ralph. (fn. 37) No further history of these lands
has been found in the public records, but they may
be identical with the 'manor of Little Danby,' of
which Thomas Herbert, alderman of York, died
seised in 1614 after having received a grant of tenements here in 1597. By will he left the reversion on
the death of his son Christopher to Christopher's son
Thomas, afterwards Sir Thomas Herbert of Tintern. (fn. 38)
Mr. Thomas J. Masterman lived at Little Danby in
1873, and land here is now in the hands of the
trustees of Mr. Christopher Masterman.
REDEHAM (Redham, xiii cent.; Redholme,
xvi cent.) was held by the branch of Nevills who
held Great Danby and Atlow Cowton. (fn. 39) In 1272
Geoffrey de Nevill conveyed the 'manor of Redeham'
to Bernard de Nevill with reversion to himself, and
seems ultimately to have quitclaimed the reversion. (fn. 40) In 1286–7 Bernard held 1 carucate here
of John de Stonegrave under the Earl of Richmond. (fn. 41)
Bernard died without children, and was succeeded
by John de Nevill, (fn. 42) probably his brother. John
and his wife Parnel held the manor in dower in
the time of Edward II. (fn. 43) It was seized by the Earl
of Richmond under the pretext that Parnel and her
second husband William de Bradwell had not performed the services due, but was recovered by William
and Parnel, who pleaded a settlement on John de
Nevill and Parnel and their issue. (fn. 44) Eventually the
right in the manor passed to Geoffrey son of Hugh,
a brother of Bernard de Nevill, and in 1337 Philip
son of Geoffrey de Nevill recovered the manor from
Henry de Kirkby. (fn. 45) No further mention of the
Nevills has been found in connexion with Redeham
until 1558, when Sir Thomas Nevill, kt., and
Margaret his wife, with William his son, conveyed
the manor with Atlow Cowton to Richard Bowes. (fn. 45a)
He must have disposed of it shortly afterwards, for
before 1565 the 'manor or grange' here was held by
Richard Metrick, who died in that year (fn. 46) and was
succeeded by Thomas his son. Thomas died in
1586, and was succeeded by his infant daughter
Joan, (fn. 47) who died in the following year. (fn. 48) James
Metrick, her great-uncle, then obtained these lands, (fn. 49)
and held them until his death in 1592. (fn. 50) Richard
Metrick his son died in 1619, leaving a son Francis,
then under age, (fn. 51) on whose death in 1635 the estate
passed to his son Richard. (fn. 52) No further mention
of this manor has been found.
Robert Haulay obtained a grant of free warren in
his demesne lands here between 1359 and 1362, (fn. 53)
but is not again mentioned in connexion with
Redeham.
YAFFORTH (Eiford, Jaforde, Jaforbe, xi cent.;
Yafford or Yafforth, xii–xviii cent.; Yafferton, xviii
cent.) appears in Domesday Book described as a
berewick in the royal 'manor' of Northallerton, (fn. 54) and
again under the land of Count Alan. (fn. 55) It was a
member of the honour of Richmond. (fn. 56) In 1197–8
Robert de la Mare (probably lord of the neighbouring
manor of Little Danby) (fn. 57) granted to William de
Brettevill (Bretevile), apparently lord of Yafforth, the
advowson of one-eighth of the church of Yafforth, of
the mill of Yafforth, and of the pasture of the isle of
the same where the castle of Yafforth used to be;
William in return granted 4 acres of land to Robert
to hold of him and his heirs. (fn. 58) In 1268 William
de Brettevill granted tenements in Yafforth to his
son Richard, who with his men were to do customary
and foreign services and suit at William's mill there. (fn. 59)
A William de Brettevill owed half a mark in 1282
for ward at the castle of Richmond for one knight's
fee at Yafforth. (fn. 60) In 1286–7 Baldwin de Brettevill
held Yafforth (fn. 61) of the earl, Richard de Brettevill
holding 1 carucate of him. (fn. 62)
John de Helbeck and Agnes his wife conveyed
small tenements in Yafforth to Richard de Little
Danby and Agnes his wife in 1303–4, (fn. 63) and in 1316
William de Brettevill and Richard de Danby were
returned as joint lords. (fn. 64) Alice widow of William
de Brettevill and Thomas his son were living in
1322. (fn. 65) The next lord of Yafforth would appear to
have been a minor, for in 1358–60 Edward III
granted to John de Brettevill custody of all lands and
tenements in Yafforth to hold at will. (fn. 66) Perhaps
this John succeeded to the fee, for one of his name
was lord at about this time, and had a daughter
and heiress Katharine, married to William Danby.
William and Katharine had a son Robert, called 'of
Yafforth,' (fn. 67) who died in 1463. His widow Katharine
lived till 1494, holding the profits of the manor of
Little Danby in dower, but his younger son Ralph,
who obtained Yafforth under a settlement, died at
Bosworth Field, (fn. 68) leaving daughters and co-heirs
Margery, Alice and Agnes, married to Ralph Rokeby
of Mortham, John Acklam, and James Strangways of
Ormsby respectively. (fn. 69)
Alice the second daughter had three daughters by
John Acklam: Margaret wife of Thomas Hawkesworth, Ellen wife of Marmaduke Thwaites of Little
Smeaton, and Anne wife of Thomas Metham of
Barnhill. (fn. 70) Of these the Hawksworths had an estate
in Little Danby and Yafforth until the Civil War,
when it was sequestered because Walter Hawksworth
the elder, 'of Heworth,' entered York while garrisoned for the king. (fn. 71)
Margery Rokeby made her will in 1540, (fn. 72) and died
in the following year seised of the capital messuage
and part of the manor of Yafforth. (fn. 73) Her son Thomas
died seised in 1567, and was succeeded by Christopher
his son, (fn. 74) whose son John was said to hold it in
1594, (fn. 75) although he had in 1590 conveyed the manor
to Thomas Lascelles and others, (fn. 76) apparently trustees
for the family of Wadeson of Yafforth. From John
Wadeson, who was aged twenty-three in 1612, and
whose sister Elizabeth was then wife of William
Lascelles, (fn. 77) William Middleton of Stockeld bought
the capital messuage. He died at Yafforth in 1621, (fn. 78)
and his infant daughter and heiress Anne (fn. 79) died ten
years later, this property passing under settlements
to Sir Peter Middleton of Stockeld after the death
of Anne widow of William. (fn. 80) This lady married
secondly Sir Edward Osborne, by whom she had a
son Thomas, created Marquess of Carmarthen and
Duke of Leeds. (fn. 81) In 1667 Peter Middleton, grandson of Sir Peter, (fn. 82) made a settlement of this halfmanor. (fn. 83) He was imprisoned in 1680 for refusing
the oath of allegiance. (fn. 84) At some time the Yafforth
estates were granted to the Meynells of Kilvington,
Roger Meynell having married Mary daughter of Sir
John Middleton, (fn. 85) Peter's uncle. (fn. 86) In 1744–5 the
premises 'formerly the estate of Peter Middleton'
were sold for £4,200 to George Hassell and Edward
Carter. (fn. 87) The further history of this part of the
manor has not been traced, but it appears to have
belonged to Mr. C. Masterman, whose trustees now
hold the whole of Yafforth.
James Strangways, who married Agnes, the third
Danby heiress, had by her a son Sir Richard, who was
succeeded by James his son. (fn. 88) James in 1589 conveyed the manor of Yafforth to James Pennyman, (fn. 89)
who in 1595 conveyed it to Sir William Belasyse, kt. (fn. 90)
The grandson of Sir William, Thomas Lord Fauconberg, conveyed it in 1627 to Conyers D'Arcy and
Grace his wife, (fn. 91) who in 1642 and 1644 conveyed it
to Sir William Dalton of Hauxwell (q.v.), kt., and
John (fn. 92) his son. Mary great-granddaughter and coheir of John Dalton married in 1703 Edward
Graham Viscount Preston. (fn. 93) She and her sister
Elizabeth and uncle Charles Dalton in 1716 conveyed
the manor or farm of Yafforth to John Brockhurst
and Thomas Newsom. (fn. 94) Miss Masterman was lady
of the manor in 1879; the trustees of the late
Mr. Christopher Masterman are the present owners.
Churches
The parish church of DANBY
WISKE (invocation unknown) consists of a chancel 27 ft. 5 in. by
19 ft. 8 in., nave 41 ft. 8 in. by 18 ft. 6 in., north
aisle 9 ft. 4 in. wide, west tower 10 ft. 4 in. by
9 ft. 1 in., and south porch. The south door and
the lower part of the south wall date from about the
year 1100. The alterations made early in the
14th century, when the chancel was rebuilt and a
north aisle added to the nave, gave the church very
much the same plan that it has to day. The tower,
however, was not added till 200 years later.
The chancel, the roof of which is plastered up to
the collar beams, contains an east window of three
trefoiled intersecting lights, and in the north wall is
a two-light debased window. On the south side is an
early 14th-century piscina with a chamfered label,
and to the east of it is an aumbry with a lintel
formed out of a 13th-century tombstone engraved
with part of a sword and book. On the same side
are two 14th-century windows of two trefoiled lights
with a chamfered external label, and a doorway
between them having a chamfered trefoiled head
externally and a square lintel internally. The chancel
arch is only 1 ft. 5 in. thick in two chamfered orders
springing from a simple capital; it was originally
two-centred, but has thrust out the jambs and sunk
to an arch of three centres.
The north arcade is early 14th-century work and
rests on circular columns and responds. Originally
the arches were all alike, and almost semicircular,
but that to the west has given way at some period and
been rebuilt more pointed. Over the two to the
east are two two-light, cinquefoiled, square-headed,
15th-century clearstory windows. To the south of
the nave is an early 13th-century lancet window, and
to the west and above it are three 16th-century twolight windows. The south doorway is rude Norman
work of about the year 1100, with a moulded semicircular arch inclosing a tympanum on which are
carved three human figures, the larger central one
holding a book; the arch rests on abaci and cushion
capitals of which the shafts have disappeared.
The walls of the north aisle have been rebuilt. The
west window and the two north windows are all modern.
The tower seems to be late 15th-century work and
is separated from the nave by a pointed arch of twocontinuous chamfered orders. The roof is vaulted, and the
west window is three-centred with three cinquefoiled
lights, and externally a moulded hood. The tower is in
two stages with an embattled parapet, plinth, and diagonal buttresses ending in pinnacles. The upper story is
lighted by two-light cinquefoil square-headed windows.
The stair turret at the south-east angle is entered
from the tower by a doorway, which has a beautiful
14th-century tombstone as a lintel. This is carved
with the figure of a lady, having a small shield barry
of eight on each shoulder, perhaps the arms of Fitz
Alan of Bedale.
The exterior walling of the church varies considerably. The south wall of the nave has Norman
random rubble on each side of the modern porch;
the upper part was rebuilt when the 16th-century
windows were inserted. The lower part of the
chancel is 14th-century random rubble and the upper
part modern, while the north aisle has coursed rubble
in the north wall and random rubble with brick
lacing courses at each end. The clearstory walling,
which has settled somewhat at the west end, is
coursed rubble in large blocks. The tower is similar.
The bells are three in number: the first, which
is badly cracked, bears no date or inscription; the
second is inscribed 'God save his church 1663'; on
the third is the legend 'Sono omnibus placere 1716,
J. Kay. Thom. Ward.'
The plate consists of a communion cup with a
tapering bowl bearing the York date mark of 1634,
a modern plated foot paten and plated flagon.
The registers date from 1621.
The church of ALL SAINTS OF YAFFORTH
was almost entirely rebuilt in 1870 in 13th-century
style. It is of stone and consists of a chancel 22 ft.
by 14 ft., nave 40 ft. by 18 ft., a west tower 7 ft.
square, a vestry, organ chamber and south porch.
The only parts which may belong to the old church
are a single-light window in the south wall of the
chancel; the door at the west end of the nave with
a two-centred head; the south door 4 ft. wide with
a circular head and roll mouldings on jambs and
arch, and a small lancet light in the west wall of the
tower. Near the porch outside the church is an
octagonal font on a long octagonal stem inscribed
'et: st: ml 1663.'
The plate, consisting of silver chalice, paten and
flagon, is all modern, presented in 1868 by Eliza,
Margaret, Jane and Catherine Masterman in memory
of their sister Alice.
The registers begin in 1675.
Advowson
The advowson of Danby Wiske
Church passed with the manor (q.v.)
from the 13th century and until the
19th century. It descended from the late Archdeacon
Cust to Mr. J. R. Evans and from him to his
daughter Mrs. Connell, wife of the present rector,
the Rev. R. Connell, now patron. (fn. 95) The living is a
rectory which includes Yafforth. The church of All
Saints of Yafforth is a chapel of ease to Danby Wiske,
the living being a perpetual curacy. One-eighth of
the advowson was in 1197–8 in the hands of the
lords of Little Danby and Yafforth (q.v.), and the
advowson was mentioned with that of Danby Wiske
in conveyances in 1700–1 and in 1718. (fn. 96)
Charities
In 1635 Reginald Swale left £20
and in 1684 the Rev. George Barker,
rector of the parish, gave £20 for
the benefit of the poor. The sum of 19s. 8d., being
the dividends on £39 13s. 7d. consols held by the
official trustees, was in 1906 distributed amongst the
poor in respect of these charities.
An unknown donor's gift of 5s. a year out of a
farm called Rawker Farm was formerly paid.
The Church National School was founded by deed
1885. The school was endowed by members of the
Masterman family with £991 9s. 2d. consols and
with £105 13s. 9d. consols for repairs. The sums
of stock are held by the official trustees.